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Post by Clare on Apr 8, 2005 14:41:57 GMT 11
After viewing your board, I feel this thread is quite superfluous really.
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Post by Dark One on Apr 8, 2005 19:28:20 GMT 11
Don't give up!
You can pinch stuff from there if you like? No-one on there seems to read it much now
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Post by Clare on Apr 12, 2005 18:30:42 GMT 11
Pinching is naughty  Unless it's from a newspaper. hehehe Robo riders April 12, 2005 Child jockeys, banned in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from riding in camel races, are to be replaced by robot riders. The first successful test has been carried out with a prototype mechanical camel jockey, the Gulf News reported. The lightweight mechanical jockey receives orders from the instructor via a remote control system allowing the operator to guide the camel the same way as a human. The experiment was carried out under the directives of UAE President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and UAE Vice-President and Ruler of Dubai Sheik Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sheik Sultan Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Protocol and Guesthouse Department, said the mechanical jockeys would be used in the next racing season. The first batch of robot jockeys would arrive in August. Children as young as three or four, mostly from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and Sudan, have been used for the sport in the UAE as well as in other Gulf countries. www.smh.com.au/news/Unusual-Tales/Robo-riders/2005/04/11/1113071914170.html |
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Post by Dark One on Apr 12, 2005 19:36:19 GMT 11
But i'll give you my source's. I usually get most of my odd stories from Ananova and occasionaly from BBC News |
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Post by Clare on Apr 15, 2005 10:57:12 GMT 11
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Post by Miska on Apr 15, 2005 15:31:20 GMT 11
OMG! go the pigs 
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Post by Clare on Apr 15, 2005 15:48:41 GMT 11
Quake victims need water, Australia sends nappies By Rob Taylor in Sibolga, Sumatra April 3, 2005 Confusion over a pallet of emergency supplies plagued Australia's mercy mission to the devastated Indonesian islands of Nias and Simeulue yesterday as HMAS Kanimbla arrived off the quake-shattered coast. At the main aid hub of Sibolga on Sumatra's north coast, lack of transport and bad weather added to the long delays that were still frustrating Australian relief efforts five days after the magnitude 8.7 earthquake hit the region. At the town's military airport on Friday night, emergency workers were unable to fly life-saving rescue equipment including concrete cutting equipment and jacks capable of freeing trapped survivors to Nias because RAAF transports landed with only an hour of light left due to a fuel leak in Jakarta. To add to rescuers' woes, one of the three pallets of emergency supplies consisted of disposable nappies, instead of the critically needed food, drugs and water. "To call it a shemozzle doesn't go far enough," one Australian doctor said. "In Australia they probably think nappies are a good idea." The charity SurfAid International also hit problems, with not enough trucks to load Australian-funded supplies at the airport and its relief boat to ferry the shipment to Nias having "disappeared". "We don't know where the boat is," co-ordinator Simon Yardley said. "The guy that was supposed to be organising it hasn't turned up and the boat doesn't seem to have turned up either. We don't know when it will go." Indonesian soldiers and airport officials quarrelled with SurfAid until late on Friday, demanding they move stacked supplies beside the airport runway, along with an RAAF forklift truck, before the expected arrival this morning of Vice-President Jusuf Kalla. "Tell them we are coming to save the lives of their people," Mr Yardley said, hastily negotiating an overtime payment for workers to return at midnight and load up the supplies, mainly nappies. Monsoon season rains also intervened, threatening to soak uncovered supplies left on the backs of trucks. The head of Indonesian Army intelligence in Sibolga, Major Sinaga, said all the confusion could be erased if international aid agencies worked more closely with their Indonesian counterparts. "We have no idea what's happening here," Major Sinaga said yesterday. "They should come and tell us what's happening. All this confusion could be avoided." Government aid officials and Royal Australian Air Force personnel were trying to arrange a United Nations helicopter to ferry the rescue equipment to Nias at first light yesterday. At that time the Kanimbla was also due to start sending medical teams on to the coast. "It's a real shame it's going to take so long," US rescue team spokesman Alex Pollack said. The RAAF failed with a bid to get a Singaporean military helicopter to fly the gear across to the coast, making the arrival of the two heavy-lift Royal Australian Navy Sea King helicopters on the Kanimbla more urgent. www.smh.com.au/news/Asia-Tsunami/Quake-victims-need-water-Australia-sends-nappies/2005/04/02/1112302288636.html |
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Post by Dark One on Apr 15, 2005 19:06:35 GMT 11
Lol! You'd think they'd get it right first time!
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Post by Clare on Apr 18, 2005 10:26:23 GMT 11
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Post by Clare on Apr 18, 2005 21:05:01 GMT 11
Key to a mad creativity
April 18, 2005
Sydney Morning Herald
A Scottish artist who randomly vandalised almost 50 cars as part of a project said the owners should be happy they were involved in his "creative process".
Mark McGowan, 37, will display pictures of himself scratching the paintwork of vehicles in Glasgow and London in an exhibition this week.
He said he had "keyed" 17 cars around the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow's upmarket West End in March and 30 vehicles in Camberwell, south London.
He said: "I pick the cars randomly. What I have been looking at are issues of property and linking it with art and performative action.
"I got the idea when my sister and brother-in-law's cars were keyed. Is it jealousy that causes someone to key a car? Hatred? Revenge? There is a strong creative element in the keying of a car; it's an emotive engagement.
"There is the fear factor, which was an important part of the project. Cars being keyed is a worldwide pandemic at the moment and this should hopefully draw attention to it. Maybe it will enter the mainstream, like graffiti."
His work will be displayed on Wednesday night in a launch party at The Arches, an exhibition venue in Glasgow.
It is the latest in a string of bizarre stunts by the postgraduate in history of art from the prestigious Goldsmiths College in London.
McGowan, who has described himself as "the British alternative to David Blaine", nailed his feet to an art gallery last year - in a protest against leaves.
In 2003, he attracted world media attention when he pushed a monkey nut with his nose for 11 kilometres to 10 Downing Street in a protest against student debt.
In the same year he sat for 12 days in a bath filled with baked beans, with two chips up his nose and sausages wrapped around his head - to defend criticism of the full English breakfast.
He also once rolled himself across London for seven kilometres singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to highlight the work of office cleaners.
Last year he cooked and ate a fox to draw attention to the plight of "crackheads".
He said of his latest stunt: "I do feel guilty about keying these people's cars but if I don't do it, someone else will and they should feel glad that they've been involved in the creative process."
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Post by Clare on Apr 29, 2005 14:06:48 GMT 11
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Post by Dark One on Apr 29, 2005 19:13:58 GMT 11
Wow! That's a very cool picture!
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Post by Clare on Apr 30, 2005 12:02:00 GMT 11
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Post by Dark One on May 3, 2005 4:12:51 GMT 11
erm, the second link points to a registration page..
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Post by Clare on May 3, 2005 16:10:37 GMT 11
Actually, the newspaper redirects people at random to the registration page.... especially after they've visited the site around twice in one day. Cursable cookies! But sometimes you get lucky and it doesn't pop up.
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Post by Elspeth on May 3, 2005 17:05:02 GMT 11
It doesn't cost anything to sign up - I had to sign up for The Age in Melbourne and they've never harrassed me or sent me emails or put my name on the list of Iraq's Most Wanted or anything. Which is rare, now I come to think of it. Or you could just try again later, as the good Bathmat suggests. |
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Post by Dark One on May 3, 2005 19:17:16 GMT 11
just tired again. Seems to work now
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Post by Dark One on May 12, 2005 2:48:06 GMT 11
Chewing gum can 'enhance breasts' A chewing gum which the makers say can help enhance the size, shape and tone of the breasts has proved to be a big hit in Japan. B2Up says its Bust-Up gum, when chewed three or four times a day, can also help improve circulation, reduce stress and fight ageing. The gum works by slowly releasing compounds contained in an extract from a plant called Pueraria mirifica. In theory, this helps to keep the muscle tissue in good order. Pueraria mirifica, also known as Kwao Krua, is a species found in Thailand and Burma. It has long been used by indigenous hill tribe people as a traditional medicine. The plant's underground tubers contain a number of chemicals called phytoestrogens - natural compounds which mimic the effects of the female sex hormone oestrogen. These include miroestrol and deoxymiroestrol, which are believed to exert a particularly strong effect, as they are very close in chemical structure to oestradiol, the main human oestrogen. B2Up says that it is the effect of these two chemicals, coupled with a third phytooestrogen isoflavone, which makes its gum so effective. It cites tests carried out by Thailand's Chulalongkorn University which found Pueraria mirifica therapy was able to enhance breast size by 80%. Further tests carried out in England found that the plant had a beneficial effect on the skin, and hair, as well as the breasts. The company also markets different Pueraria products, including pills, and tea. The gum, which comes in rose flavour, has proved so popular that there are plans to start selling it in convenience stores. ScepticismClaire Williamson, of the British Nutrition Foundation, said research had suggested phytoestrogens may be beneficial in post-menopausal women in terms of reducing menopausal symptoms, and may also have beneficial effects on risk factors for heart disease and osteoporosis. A role in breast cancer has also been suggested. But she said research had suggested that isoflavone supplements are not as effective in managing menopausal symptoms as isoflavone rich foods such as soya. Furthermore, consumption of isoflavones may need to be life-long in order to have beneficial effects on postmenopausal symptoms. "So there is clear evidence of the potential health benefits of consuming isoflavone-rich foods such as soya, however consumption in the form of a gum has not been extensively studied and such products may be simply another food gimmick." news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4361563.stm
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Post by Clare on May 16, 2005 16:50:35 GMT 11
Piano man mystery
May 16, 2005 - 1:05PM
A smartly dressed man found wandering in a soaking wet suit near a south of England beach has baffled police and care workers after he refused to say a word and then gave a virtuoso piano performance.
The man, wearing a formal black suit and tie, was spotted by police in Kent, south-east of London, on April 8 and taken to a psychiatric unit where it proved impossible to identify him because he stayed silent.
It was only after he was given a pen and paper that carers were given an intriguing clue to his possible background when he drew an intricate picture of a grand piano.
He was taken to the hospital's chapel where he played classical music on the piano for hours.
However, despite his picture being posted on the National Missing Persons Helpline's website, no one has come forward to identify him.
"Very little is known about him as he has not been speaking with staff at the hospital where he is being cared for, but he has a talent for playing classical piano," an NMPH spokesman said in a statement.
Newspapers said members of the public had contacted authorities to say they may have seen the man giving concert performances around Europe.
The Daily Telegraph in London said the man, in his 20s or 30s, is believed to be English and may have suffered a mental breakdown.
His story echoes that of the 1996 Oscar-winning film Shine, in which actor Geoffrey Rush played Australian pianist David Helfgott, who overcame a nervous breakdown to return to performing.
Sydney Morning Herald 16/5/05
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Post by Elspeth on May 16, 2005 21:22:14 GMT 11
How bizarre! I was thinking of those opening scenes of Shine all the way through that. I wonder who on earth this person is? It's stories like these that make me want to steal them and solve them through fiction. |
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Post by Dark One on May 16, 2005 22:08:33 GMT 11
i'll see if there's any more info on him
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Post by Clare on May 17, 2005 21:20:44 GMT 11
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Post by Dark One on May 19, 2005 19:56:41 GMT 11
KOd by vibrating pants A KINKY housewife was knocked out cold in Asda — after her vibrating knickers left her overcome with excitement. The thrill-seeking shopper was wearing a pair of Ann Summers battery-operated Passion Pants to spice up her sex life. But as she pushed her trolley she got so aroused by the 2½-inch vibrating bullet inside that she fainted. The 33-year-old fell against shelves and banged her head in the crowded store at Swansea, South Wales. Paramedics rushed to help — and found the black leatherette panties still buzzing. They switched them off and removed them before taking her to hospital. The woman — who has not been named to spare her blushes — made a full recovery but her pride took a knock. As she left hospital a paramedic handed her back the naughty knickers in a plastic bag. An Asda spokesman said: “We like to think shopping with us is exciting enough already.”<br> www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005220835,00.html
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Post by Clare on May 19, 2005 20:20:50 GMT 11
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Post by Dark One on May 19, 2005 20:54:00 GMT 11
well, i am a man...
Lol! Not really, i'm just posting things that people have sent me recently.
I love the pic!
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Unless it's from a newspaper. hehehe
